This Means War
by ILETUDRIVE
Summary: A short little fluff like fic, using my favorite characters, if you know me at all you know who I'm talking about. Plus Carly and Lucky. It's short and complete


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Steph's Babble: I wrote this in response to a request for a fluff fic. I realized I hadn't done one of those yet. I seem to work a little angst into everything I do. Ah well, I gave it a shot and here is the output. I hope you like it, please let me know.

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Disclaimer: I own nothing, does anyone want to sell?

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Final Comment: This fic is set in August of 2000 when Jason came back the first time, it's a short that is set the day after he taught her how to box.

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This Means War

~Kelly's~

Carefully poking her head out of the doorway Elizabeth Webber eyed the seemingly empty room with cautious eyes. Shuffling a bit farther into the room she made a careful perusal of the empty space behind the counter, before hurriedly crossing to hide behind it. Shoulders tense, her eyes kept sweeping the diner hunting for her prey.

Shifting her grip on the gun in her hand, Elizabeth slowly moved from the counter to the base of the stairs. Absently brushing a few water drops from her forehead before they could drop in her eyes causing them to sting, she kept her focus on the dark at the top of the stairs.

Taking a final look at the empty diner, she gripped the rail with her free hand and began her slow journey up the stairs. She really didn't want to go upstairs, but had no choice. She had only climbed two stairs when a noise caught her ear. Instinctively she jumped backwards off the stairs until her back was pressed firmly against the wall at the base.

Turning until she was leaning sideways against the wall Elizabeth took a quick peek around the corner. The peek was too quick to really see anything, so she knew she'd have to risk it and take a longer look. He probably wasn't inside the diner yet. If he had been he would have nailed her when she was exposed on the stairs.

At least the logical part of her mind believed that, yet she still took the time to grip the gun in her other hand long enough to wipe her suddenly damp palm on her pants, before bringing the gun into firing position again. Squatting as much as she could and still hug the wall Elizabeth risked another look around the corner.

From her vantage point which was about table high, the diner still seemed empty and more importantly it felt empty. The doors were propped wide open because of the heat and the air conditioner being on the fritz again. Shifting her focus she peered at the windows trying to see out into the courtyard beyond. But either her eyesight was too bad, or the windows were too dirty, because all she saw was sunlight.

Hating to do it but knowing she had too, Elizabeth pushed away from the protective shelter of the wall and began making her way to the door. She couldn't help but wince at every step she took. Who knew she walked like an elephant. Her boots trod heavily on the hardwood and sticky floor that she'd been unable to wax the night before. Keeping the gun at shoulder height like she'd seen in countless cop shows she kept her eyes trained on the door. When she ran into a chair she couldn't help but flinch at the loud noise the scrape of the movement made on the floor. Her eyes flew open immediately and she brought the gun back up cupping her free hand under the hand holding the gun.

Breathing harder with each step she took, her eyes were locked on the entryway to the courtyard. Seeing no one she hurried the last few steps until she was leaning against the wall next to the open door. Once settled she did her best to even her breathing. It spiked again when she heard a sound coming from the courtyard. Someone was definitely out there, and whoever it was just moved a chair. Elizabeth began counting in her head as the footsteps moved closer to her position.

She would be fine if she just remembered to breathe. That's all she had to do was breathe. The sound of the footsteps changed as he tread on the salt she had spread in front of the door to alert her to his presence. With a final glance heavenward she tightened her hold on the gun. One, two, th… Elizabeth stepped into the doorway firing her gun as she did so. "Got you Do…Jason?"

Closing her eyes she prayed that she wasn't seeing what she thought she was seeing. Peeking through her lashes she groaned when she realized she was. Jason Morgan was standing in front of her, dripping from the face because of the squirts of the water gun that she had inadvertently sprayed him with.

Face flaming Elizabeth pulled a towel from her back pocket and immediately began to try to mop up the excess water. "I'm sorry Jason I thought you were someone else. I never meant to, I mean I never would have." It was getting harder and harder for her to keep a straight face. He was staring her at with such a look of surprise, she realized she'd never caught him off-guard like this before. 

Jason watched her waging a battle with herself all in an effort not to laugh, and he couldn't help but smile. She had certainly surprised him.

Seeing his smile Elizabeth let the laughter out. "S-sorry." The towel she was using to blot the water off of him came to rest around his neck and she smiled sheepishly at him, forgetting the fact she was touching him for the minute. "Are you okay?"

"It was only water Elizabeth I think I'll live," he reminded her with a wry grin. He lowered his gaze to her free hand, which was holding the towel to his chest. "Am I dry?"

"Huh?" Startled she looked down. "Oh," backing off quickly she let the towel drop on a table. "Sorry again."

"Don't be I didn't mind." At his words he watched her face flush. He wondered if she was thinking about last night, he knew he had all morning that was one of the reasons he was here. "So what were you doing?"

"Oh, I was hunting Don," Elizabeth admitted letting go of the bottom lip she had been mangling in her embarrassment. Catching his confused expression she went on. "With it being Founder's Day, we've been deader then dead here. When we get like this, and I can drag Don away from the crap games in the alley we play," she shook the gun in her hand. "It was my turn to hunt him."

"You shouldn't play with guns Elizabeth, someone could think it's real and then where would you be?"

Glancing down at the neon green water pistol in her hand she let out a laugh. "It's green Jason, I don't think anyone will think it's real."

"Still," it was hard for him to think of anything with guns in a fun way. He'd had too much experience with them. "How did you know I was here?"

"The salt," she explained. "I spread some in front of the door to alert me if someone came in. I figured it was Don, but he's probably back at the crap game. He's probably mad that I beat him last time, he was always such a sore loser. Of course most guys are."

"I still don't…."

Seeing the lecture forming she decided to head it off. "Are you a sore loser Jason? You have to admit I just beat you."

"I wasn't playing."

"Aren't you always? You're supposed to be prepared for anything and yet," she gestured with the half-full gun. "I soaked you and you never even flinched. If I had had a real gun, you'd be toast." She frowned at that realization.

"I knew you were here," he answered defensively.

"You did not." She didn't really walk like an elephant so there was no way he had heard her.

"I did," Jason repeated.

"How?"

"I could smell your perfume," he admitted his eyes catching hers. "It's the same as you wore last night. It's distinctive like you, soft, a little sweet, and yet a little spicy," he moved closer. "That mixed with a scent of strawberries and vanilla,"

"My shampoo?" Elizabeth asked a little breathlessly. 

"And I'd know you anywhere." He came to a stop directly in front of her, he could see the hitch in her breathing and her face was becoming red again.

Swallowing hard Elizabeth forced herself to look up into those light blue eyes of his. Eyes, which had haunted her dreams all night long. "Really?"

"Yes really," catching himself by surprise as much as he did her, he reached up and lightly ran a finger down her cheek.

Watching those amazing eyes of his drift closer, sudden nerves clutched at her stomach. She didn't know if she was ready for this. Reacting without conscious thought she brought the gun over and squirted him in the side of the chest.

Startled Jason stepped back.

"I got you again," Elizabeth managed a smile. "Just like any good boy scout, you should always be prepared Jason."

Jason frowned down at the wet spot on his shirt then at her eyes, which were dancing in mischief and grinned. "This means war."

Catching the warning glint in his eyes, Elizabeth took off with a laugh heading for the kitchen. He caught her by the counter, his arms coming around her waist stilling her in her tracks. Twice now in 24 hours he held her in his arms in this position, and like it had last night her heart rate spiked. This time however her mind was screaming at her not to blow it off like she had the night before.

Relaxing against him she relished the feel of the hardness of his chest against her back, her hands were down by her hips, and she let them drop until she could feel the muscles in his thighs. He was so much bigger then her. So much stronger and more powerful, yet she never felt afraid with him. His hands had calluses yet they were always gentle when they touched her. And they were touching her right now, one hand moving down her arm, to her hand, to … the gun.

Realizing her mistake too late, Elizabeth tried to keep her grip on the gun but he took it from her hand easily. Twisting free she ran for the safe haven of the kitchen. Jason watched her go, reliving the far too quick moment he had held her in his arms. For a minute there is seemed like she was enjoying being held by him, and even touching him when she didn't necessarily have too. He waited a beat longer before following her, there was no place left for her to run now.

Entering the kitchen he spied her immediately. She hadn't, like he knew she wouldn't, snuck out the back door to the alley beyond. Instead she was standing with her back to the sink facing him. Moving slowly towards her, tapping the gun against his thigh he decided to tease her a little bit.

"You don't want to do anything you'll regret," Elizabeth informed him. "I was just playing."

"So am I," he reminded her taking another step.

"Jason a fight between you and me wouldn't be fair now would it?" Elizabeth reasoned. Trying not to catch his attention she slowly moved her hands behind her reaching for her ace in the hole. "I mean you're so much more familiar with guns and aiming them at people then I am."

Her teasing dismissal of his work should have worried him, but at the moment he didn't care. "I'm not used to green guns," he reminded her, raising the gun. "The sights could be all wrong."

"Jason," she tried one last time.

"All's fair in war Elizabeth," he pointed the neon green gun at her, but before he had the chance to pull the trigger, she moved suddenly and he found himself with another face full of water.

"Ha," Elizabeth crowed, keeping the water going full stream.

Shifting his focus Jason realized she was shooting him with the hose that was attached to the sink, that had a handle on it. It normally was used to wash dishes, and judging from the amount of water he was being hit with, it was a lot stronger then a water pistol. At that moment she changed the angle of the water stream to the gun in his hand, and it clattered to the floor.

Elizabeth shrieked when Jason leaped to where she stood, shifting she kept the water trained at him yet tried to protect her grip on her Gerry rigged gun. Reaching for the hose in her hand Jason found himself with an armful of a struggling and quite determined woman. Their laughter echoed off the walls of the enclosed kitchen as they both struggled to control the water hose. Both ended up drenched in the process yet neither one would let go.

Jason finally managed to get sole control on the handle of the hose and Elizabeth quickly stepped back. Sometime during their struggle her drenched shirt had been pulled up slightly and a few buttons had come undone, until it was being held closed by only two buttons. Her eyes were dancing with laughter, to him she had never appeared more beautiful. Aware of his scrutiny her mouth shifted until she began to nibble on her bottom lip in nerves again. 

Taking a step back from him her foot slipped on the water that was covering the ground, losing her balance she instinctively reached out for him. If she was going down, so was Jason, she determined that right away. Although he tried to steady her, her momentum was too much and they both fell to the floor.

Jason did his best to cushion her fall, he valiantly let her land on his chest, which she did, knocking the breath from his body. The hose in his hand went taut and snapped free of the sink. The hose lashed out catching her across the back of the head. Instead of groaning Elizabeth began to laugh. He joined in, his chest rumbled, jostling her from her position on his chest. Spying the gun on the ground next to him Elizabeth began to reach for it discreetly.

Shifting she raised her position until she looked down on him slightly. Their eyes met and the laughter slowly died. Gradually she became aware of her position, she was lying on top of him, one of her legs in between his, her chest on his, her hand braced beside his head. She knew she should move off of him, yet made no move.

One hand was at the base of her spine, at first it was to steady her, but it remained there long after it wasn't needed. Reaching up with his other hand, he brushed the damp strands of her hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear, before cupping the back of her head. He began to draw her head down to him, slowly, giving her plenty of time to resist or pull away.

Elizabeth moved willingly until her face was mere inches from his. Her lips were so tantalizingly close to his. He had just angled his head in order to meet hers, when he felt the gun being placed against his temple. Focusing on her eyes, he saw the amusement in them, but he also saw desire in them, and a hint of a dare as well. "Sometimes," he told her in a slow sexy voice. "You just have to take a risk."

With those words he pulled her head down until their lips met. Her lips were soft, sweet, tantalizing, and were everything he imagined they would be. His mouth slanted across hers, and her lips parted, taking the initiative he deepened the kiss, delving into her luscious mouth. The gun clattered to the floor as her hand moved toward his shoulder, trying to pull herself closer.

She was, in a word, intoxicating. Swallowing the groan of desire as her tongue danced past his. His arm tightened around her waist drawing her closer to him. Sighing into his mouth she obliged shifting her own body until he growled in frustration at her movements. Their tongues battled for control as the kiss quickly spiraled into so much more.

Gone was the tentative sweetness of a first kiss, a kiss of learning each other's likes and dislikes. This was now a kiss of ferocious need and it seemed to catch both of them by surprise. Elizabeth moaned and tried to push closer, pressing her mouth against his. His hand tangled in her hair, pulling her body up slightly so that she straddled him more completely, pressing her against the one place he needed her to touch more than any other. A part of him wondered if he was moving to fast, the last thing he wanted to do was scare her. That thought made him hesitate, loosening his hold on her.

But Elizabeth surprised him, she let out a husky groan and kept her mouth on his, taking control for the moment. The need for air made them break contact for a minute, her eyes opened slightly to search his out. They were heavy-lidded and full of desire for him. "Jason?" She wasn't aware she'd had a sultry voice until just that moment.

Drawn by the need he saw in her eyes, he sought her lips again. Bracing his hands on her hips he rolled her over until he was on top, shifting his length against her until he was comfortable. His mouth never leaving hers. Her hands took the initiative and began to explore his body. The damp T-shirt was clinging to him like a second skin, outlining each and every muscle in his chest, his back, beautifully, and those muscles seemed to quiver under her fingers.

His mouth roamed her face, cruising along the column of her throat, sucking gently at that throbbing point at the base of the neck, causing her to moan in desire. His hand traced the bare skin of her stomach, moving upwards in tantalizing slow circles, pausing only to undo the few remaining buttons holding her shirt closed. The tip of his fingers grazed the swell of her breast, the same moment his mouth closed on hers again, and she writhed underneath him in reaction.

"Where the hell is everybody?" Carly Roberts entered the kitchen. "Oh my god," her feet stumbled to a stop and she could only stare at the scene in front of her in horror. Her best friend was rolling around on the floor with Princess Purity? "I think I'm blind. If not I so want to be."

Barely resisting the impulse to curse at her interruption. Jason shifted his position, shielding Elizabeth from Carly's prying eyes, and pulling her shirt closed. "Leave Carly."

"Leave you here with her I don't think so. Get off of her Jason, you don't know where she's been," Carly ordered.

"Confusing me with you again Carly?" Elizabeth asked sweetly sitting up slowly and working on her buttons. "You're the one with all the notches on your bedpost."

"Now look here," incensed Carly stepped closer.

Jason was off the floor like a shot heading her off at the pass. "I think you better leave now Carly."

"Me?" Carly hissed, focusing on him in shock. "She's says that to me and I'm supposed to leave?"

"Yes." Taking his life in his own hands, he gripped her arms to try to turn her around and out the door.

Using the time Jason was taking to try to get rid of his friend Elizabeth tried her best to make sense of the last several minutes. She was definitely in over her head here, but she wasn't sure she wanted to back out. She'd felt more alive in the past half hour, than she'd felt in over a year. And all of that was due to the man who was trying in vain to move a stubborn psycho blonde out of the kitchen. She didn't know exactly where things were going with Jason, or if he'd regret what had just happened between them. She sure didn't regret kissing him.

Frowning she considered that. He better not regret it. These last minutes had been the most mind blowing of her life, and if he regretted them she was going to have to hurt him … badly. She'd just have to change his mind. And if that didn't work, she'd kill him.

"Carly just go." Patience gone Jason lashed out at her. He wanted to talk to Elizabeth before she had a chance to build any walls between them. In order to do that he needed to get Carly out of here.

"Jas…" she cutoff with a scream when a stream of water hit her in the mouth. Spitting out the water she looked over at Elizabeth in shock. 

Elizabeth smiled back cheekily and waved a green gun in her direction. "Ding dong the witch is dead? Or does that only work in movies?"

"You little bitch," incensed Carly tried to get past Jason.

Jason caught her around the waist and began to drag her from the kitchen yelling for Pete the whole time.

"Yes Mr. Morgan?" An oversized man quickly crossed to where Jason was struggling with his irate charge. 

"Take Ms. Roberts back to the penthouse," Jason ordered. He hated to pull rank and use the guard like this. But if he didn't get Carly out of here and soon, there would be blood spilled.

Pete couldn't help but groan.

"I'll owe you big," Jason cutoff the complaint and shifted Carly to the other man. "You better call Sonny and warn him."

"Jason!" Carly yelled. "You are so dead," she kept up a steady stream of threats and curses until Pete disappeared out the door with an irate Carly slung over his shoulder.

Turning when he heard the sound of laughter coming from behind him he frowned at a grinning Elizabeth. "You didn't help things. What were you thinking of shooting her with the gun?"

"Just seeing if she would melt," she shot back frowning at the gun. "I need to refill this baby."

Moving quickly he relieved her of the gun and set it on the counter out of her reach. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," suddenly her feet seemed to be the most interesting thing in the world. "Are you?'

"Yes," squatting slightly he tried to catch her eye but she determinedly avoided looking at him. "Should I say I'm sorry?"

That caused her to meet his eyes. "What for?"

"Kissing you."

"Do you want an apology for me kissing you back?" Elizabeth avoided his question by asking one of her own.

"No," his answer was simple and honest.

Feeling confident because of his words, she let out her next statement without thinking of the consequences. "Good because I wasn't going to make one."

"I am sorry," shifting closer his eyes held hers, and his voice dropped an octave, into that sexy tone that made her mouth dry up. "Sorry I didn't kiss you before."

Unsure of where the confidence was coming from, she decided not to question, only to embrace it. Closing the distance between them, she placed her hand on his still wet shirt and slowly worked it up his chest. Outlining his ribs, his pecs, his nipples with her fingernails, until she heard him gasp. Looking up into his eyes, she noticed how dark they were now. Darkened because of desire, for her. Emboldened she licked her lips and those eyes locked on the movement of her tongue. "You'll be sorry if you don't kiss me now."

"Is that what you really want?" He asked huskily, his hands already reaching for her hips, settling her against him.

"It's what I want, you're what I want," she admitted honestly. "That scares the hell out of me, but I won't run away from it, or you."

"If you ran I don't think I'd have a choice but to follow you," he was equally honest before he kissed her.

His mouth was warm, and demanding, framing her face in his hands, he went about memorizing every inch of it. His lips touched her eyelids, her cheeks, the corner of her mouth, her nose. By the time he reached her lips she had melted into him in surrender.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Groaning in disappointment all Elizabeth could do was bury her head in Jason's chest. "We so need to find a less public place," she muttered before turning to look at the latest intrusion. "Lucky," she stiffened and stepped slightly away from Jason under the accusing look of her first love.

Jason tensed as well, but more so because of her withdrawal then the presence of the boy. Remaining quiet he decided to let Elizabeth handle this confrontation.

"What the hell is going on here?" Lucky repeated.

"I think it was obvious," Elizabeth answered. "I was kissing Jason."

Lucky's mouth dropped open in surprise, and it took all of Elizabeth's control not to giggle, she'd never seen him look like a fish before. 

"Why?" Lucky managed finally.

Less then 24 hours before she had wilted in the face of her first love, and asked Jason to leave before she wanted him to. Today she felt the opposite. She wished Lucky would go and leave her and Jason alone. But she knew he wouldn't not until she'd said some things. And judging from the tense way Jason was standing he needed to hear what she said too. 

"Because I wanted to Lucky. I've done what you've been pushing me to do ever since you've come back Lucky, I've put you in my past," saying the words allowed a huge weight to come off of her heart and she knew she was correct. "Lucky I had let you go, before I knew you were alive. I had mourned you and begun to move on with my life. When I found out you were alive, I had to go back to that person who only knew how to love you. I had to do that, I wanted to do that."

"But you came back different, and as much as I didn't want to admit it, I was different too. We're not the same people we were back then. All these months you've been telling me how much we've changed. I can finally admit that now. I have changed, I want different things now, I want to be with," she hesitated noting the sharpened interest of the man beside her and didn't know how much detail she wanted to go into at the moment. "Other people, experience new things. You'll always be my first love Lucky, and my friend I hope. But I can finally say I've moved on. I hope you'll be happy for me."

"You're moving on to Jason?" Lucky asked. "What about Nikolas? You belong with him."

Rolling her eyes she didn't even care enough to get angry at the familiar order coming from his mouth. "I belong to no one but myself Lucky. I've never belonged to Nikolas, and never will. I never belonged to you either, and I never will. And I don't belong to Jason either," she explained tiredly. "The only difference is, Jason doesn't expect me to belong to anyone but myself."

Stunned Lucky tried to process all the information that he was receiving, but he couldn't. The sight of Elizabeth holding Jason's hand, and when the hell did that happen, wouldn't leave his mind.

Elizabeth squeezed Jason's hand. "You want to leave?" Nodding Jason began to move around the corner.

Letting go of his hand Elizabeth stepped over and gave a quick hug to a shell-shocked Lucky. She knew there would be many more discussions and fights to come, but for now, just letting him hear the truth was enough. She'd leave the question of whether he had in fact heard her for another time.

"You'll hang around until Tammy shows won't you?" Elizabeth asked drawing back. Not giving him a chance to refuse she went on. "Thanks." Moving past him she picked up the neon green water gun and tucked it in her waistband. "Better take this, never know when I'll need to get somebody back in line." With that she pulled Jason out the door.

Jason came to a halt in the courtyard and turned her around to face him. "You okay?"

Nodding, Elizabeth smiled up at him, tilting her head back hoping he would kiss her. Instead her eyes flew open when water hit her face.

"Who's keeping whom in line?" Jason asked with a lethal grin, and took off.

"Jason," Elizabeth yelled after him before giving chase. "This means war."


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